General news

• Revealed: the new face of Neil Prakash, Australia's most wanted Isis member

  02-12-2016 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: new details and photographs emerge of the accused terrorist captured by security services in Turkey The first photographs have emerged of Australian senior Isis member, Neil Prakash, following his capture and imprisonment in Turkey.The photographs obtained by the Guardian show the accused terrorist with a face that has thinned noticeably since he appeared more than six months ago in publicity material as one of the extremist group’s chief recruiters. Continue reading...
  
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• Edward Heath abuse claims: Police defend investigation

  02-12-2016 23:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police say an inquiry into abuse claims involving ex-PM Sir Edward Heath is exploring "significant" lines.
  
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• Airline pilot suffers heart attack at Glasgow Airport

  02-12-2016 23:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The pilot of an airliner with 128 people on board suffers a heart attack as he taxies the plane to the runway at Glasgow Airport.
  
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• I'm A Celeb fans were not happy that Ant played The Last Post after Larry Lamb's departure

  02-12-2016 22:56
  
  They compared his departure to Brexit and the election of Trump.
  
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• A novel way to cross the Thames

  02-12-2016 22:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A zip wire over the River Thames in London raises £1m for charity.
  
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• UKIP inspired by Liberal Democrat victory in Richmond by-election

  02-12-2016 22:17
  UKIP believes it can win the by-election in Lincolnshire next week following the surprise Liberal Democrat victory in Richmond.
  
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• Keep your homes warm! Warning over freezing conditions as cold weather alerts issued

  02-12-2016 22:12
  
  Health officials warn that the chilly conditions can be deadly.
  
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• Martin Rowson on the Richmond Park byelection – cartoon

  02-12-2016 22:04 via theguardian.com
  
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• Murder charge over Harmondsworth immigration centre death

  02-12-2016 22:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man is charged with murder after another man died following an assault at an immigration facility.
  
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• Gunman 'on loose' in Paris after police respond to robbery

  02-12-2016 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Hostages released after operation on Boulevard Masséna to stop reported hold-up at travel agent’s officeA gunman is thought to be on the loose in Paris after police raided the travel agent’s office he was believed to be trying to rob. They released six hostages - but found no one else inside.The city’s police force said it carried out the operation on the Boulevard Masséna, in the south-east of the city, at about 6.30pm on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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• The 10 best festive table decorations – in pictures

  02-12-2016 21:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Spread a little comfort and joy with our pick of the Christmas table decorations Continue reading...
  
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• Edward Heath child abuse investigation 'not a witch-hunt'

  02-12-2016 20:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Wiltshire chief constable says significant number of people have disclosed claims of historical abuse against ex-prime minister
  The chief constable of the force investigating claims that Sir Edward Heath sexually abused children has vowed not to buckle under “unacceptable” media pressure, insisting the investigation into the late prime minister is not a “fishing trip” or a “witch-hunt”.A “significant number of individuals have disclosed allegations of ab
  
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• Iceland vs Iceland Foods talks fail to resolve trademark row

  02-12-2016 20:51
  The government of Iceland will proceed with legal action against Iceland Foods over the British retailer's trademark registration of the word "Iceland" after talks between the two parties failed, it said on Friday. Last week the tiny north Atlantic island said Iceland Food's Europe-wide registration had often left Icelandic firms unable to describe their products as Icelandic and it had asked the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to invalidate it. Iceland's foreign ministry sai
  
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• London's child intensive care units told to delay surgery

  02-12-2016 20:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  London's Paediatric Intensive care units are told to stop treating all but the most urgent cases.
  
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• Push for hard Brexit led to Richmond Park win, says new Lib Dem MP

  02-12-2016 20:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Sarah Olney says 21.5% swing in byelection was secured because Tory remain voters felt PM was only focusing on leave campTheresa May’s decision to pursue a hard Brexit is driving Conservative-supporting remainers to desert the party, the Liberal Democrats’ newest MP said in the aftermath of her sensational win in the Richmond Park byelection.In an interview with the Guardian, Sarah Olney said her victory over Zac Goldsmith on a 21.5% swing was secured thanks to voters who felt the pr
  
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• New blow for Hinkley Point contractor EDF after French safety checks

  02-12-2016 20:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Safety issues force many reactors offline with warnings of power cuts across France, higher energy prices and a rise in emissionsThe company building the UK’s first new nuclear power station for decades is facing questions over the health of its fleet of French nuclear plants after an investigation which has left the country with the lowest level of nuclear power for 10 years and the prospect of power cuts during a cold snap. Thirteen of Électricité de France’s (EDF) 58
  
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• Stephen Hawking hospitalised in Rome for checks

  02-12-2016 20:31
  British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has been hospitalised in Rome for checks after not feeling well but his condition is not believed to be serious, a spokesman said. Hawking, 74, who was in Rome to attend a conference at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and met Pope Francis on Monday, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Thursday night. Both the spokesman and a Vatican source said Hawking, who suffers from motor neurone disease, was not believed to be in serious condition.
  
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• The Gambia’s President Jammeh concedes defeat in election

  02-12-2016 20:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Incoming president, Adama Barrow, says Jammeh called him offering his congratulations after shock resultThe Gambia’s autocratic president, Yahya Jammeh, who once claimed a “billion-year” mandate to rule, has conceded defeat after a shock election loss to a real-estate developer who once worked as a security guard in London. Related: 'Fear has faded': Gambian election could finally end dictator's grip on powerContinue reading...
  
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• Alcohol-related crime, lost output and ill health costs UK £52bn a year

  02-12-2016 20:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Treasury urged to set minimum pricing to reduce alcohol-related harm as research finds cost to taxpayer is twice old estimateDoctors are urging Philip Hammond to raise the price of alcohol to tackle the “scourge” of drink-related harm after it emerged that crime, ill health and lost productivity cost up to £52bn a year, far more than previously thought.They want the chancellor to increase the price of cheap, potent drinks such as high-strength white cider, which are mainly cons
  
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• Adele tickets appear online for £9,000 despite singer's efforts to stop touts

  02-12-2016 20:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Music industry figures raise concerns that proposals to clamp down on industrial-scale touting are inadequateHundreds of tickets to see Adele in concert next summer have appeared on resale websites for up to £9,000, despite a concerted effort by the singer to battle touts.Tickets for the upcoming dates at Wembley stadium appeared at huge mark-ups as experts warned that plans to clamp down on industrial-scale touting, by outlawing the “bot” software used to harvest tickets, will
  
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• Iceland's Pirate party invited to form government

  02-12-2016 20:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Anti-establishment group receives mandate for power-sharing pact after talks to build five-party coalition fail Iceland’s president has invited the anti-establishment Pirate party to form a government, after the right- and leftwing parties failed in their bids.
  Guðni Jóhannesson made the announcement on Friday after meeting with the head of the Pirate’s parliamentary group, Birgitta Jónsdóttir. Continue reading...
  
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• The years of calm are over. In Donald Trump we’ll have a child at the White House | Dave Eggers

  02-12-2016 20:01 via theguardian.com
  
  President Obama’s term passed without a whiff of scandal. But with Trump we face an era of lawsuits, feuds, threats, denials and insultsIt seemed too soon, and the metaphor was too crude. In the third week of November, less than two weeks after the election, they were already erecting some new structure across the street from the White House. They had fenced off most of Pennsylvania Avenue. Visitors wanting to take pictures of the White House were impeded by a giant cage, in which the stru
  
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• The Guardian view on Richmond Park: slowly does it | Editorial

  02-12-2016 20:01 via theguardian.com
  
  The byelection was an epic victory for the Lib Dems, but it does not mean a halt to BrexitThe Liberal Democrat victory in Richmond Park was a triumph for Sarah Olney, her campaign team, and the strategy of the leader, Tim Farron, who declared in his conference speech in September that the party could win as the voice of the 48%. It is also a compelling example of what can be achieved if pro-European Tories, Labour, Greens and Lib Dems work together. And while Ms Olney’s defeated rival
  
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• The Guardian view on European politics: Italy’s turn on the brink | Editorial

  02-12-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  France and Austria may be shifting to the right in presidential elections, but the referendum in Italy is the immediate challenge for Italy and the eurozoneThe surprise would have been if François Hollande had decided to run for a second term in 2017. Even so, the socialist president of France’s announcement on Thursday that he will not run again in the spring is another milestone in Europe’s political crisis. This weekend, attention will shift to Italy, which holds its much-a
  
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• Even in the tough times Fidel Castro’s Cuba placed great value on sport | Richard Williams

  02-12-2016 19:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Long before the Buena Vista Social Club beguiled audiences around the world, revolutionary Cuba’s sporting heroes enjoyed global renownOn a warm evening in a Barcelona suburb 24 years ago, the air thick and heavy, the light-grey and gold, Cuba and the USA met in a baseball game that was as much a contest of ideologies as an Olympic semi-final. As the two teams lined up to shake hands before the semi-final, each Cuban presented his opponent with a commemorative pennant. The Americans had co
  
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• ‘Don’t play identity politics!’ The primal scream of the straight white male | Hadley Freeman

  02-12-2016 19:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Donald Trump appealed unashamedly to white men – yet it’s members of that very group who now accuse others of being divisiveAn intriguing theory has recently taken hold, fast calcifying into received wisdom. Hillary Clinton, so it goes, lost the US election because she “played identity politics”.This idea has been enthusiastically endorsed by, among others, Bernie Sanders (“It is not enough for somebody to say, ‘I’m a woman, vote for me,’” he
  
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• 'Britain could remain in EU customs union', says trade minister

  02-12-2016 19:44
  Britain could continue to trade freely in Europe through the bloc's customs union despite the Brexit vote, the international trade minister has said. Greg Hands said Britain could seek a deal with Europe that would allow individual sectors to trade easily with EU nations. The customs union covers the 28 EU states, as well as Turkey, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and non-EU UK territories such as the Channel Islands.
  
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• Will disgust at football child abuse be followed by more denial? | Deborah Orr

  02-12-2016 19:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Football’s child abuse revelations will spark action, but for many the charade of not knowing will continueMore than a quarter of Britain’s police forces are now investigating the sexual abuse of children in 55 football clubs, after one man, Andy Woodward, punched a hole in the wall of silence.Brave men have been sobbing on camera in the fortnight since, as they explain how their lives have been blighted by the sexual attacks they endured as children. And despite some voices insistin
  
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• What progressive parties can learn from the Richmond Park result | Letters

  02-12-2016 19:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Following its victory in the Richmond byelection (Report, theguardian.com), I write to suggest that the Liberal Democratic party should change its name to The European Party. We of the forgotten 48% are surely more numerous today, now that Brexit’s rudderless fiasco is becoming as obvious as the shameless lies earlier told by its advocates. Even the lead rat of the leavers has signalled his inclination to leave the sinking ship and become a migrant to America.Today, we of the swelling
  
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• Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs 'did not recognise Manuel' due to dementia

  02-12-2016 19:12
  The son of Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs has told how his father's dementia meant he could no longer recognise himself on the classic sitcom. John Sachs told Sky News the final months of the actor's life were "very hard", describing dementia as a "terrible thing".
  
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• Fibre upgrade cost traps Britain in cyber slow lane

  02-12-2016 18:57
  In a bid to boost Britain's economy through Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May's government has said it wants to address business concerns and replace an ageing copper network with the "gold standard" common across Asia and parts of Europe. Pressure has been building on BT and its Openreach division for years, led by rivals TalkTalk, Sky and Vodafone, who rely on the network, and by a group of politicians who believe it is failing consumers and businesses. Rivals blame BT, saying Openreach's cas
  
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• Philip Larkin didn’t need a place in Poets’ Corner – but he deserves it | Blake Morrison

  02-12-2016 18:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Thirty-one years after his death, the most quotable British poet of the 20th century takes his rightful place in Westminster AbbeyDo poets need monuments? Not according to Horace, writing in the first century BC, who considered his poems to be “a monument more lasting than bronze/And loftier than the pyramids of kings”. Ben Jonson took a similar line when others were campaigning for Shakespeare to be given a place in Westminster Abbey: why bother? “Thou art a Moniment without a
  
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• Adama Barrow: from Argos security guard to president of the Gambia

  02-12-2016 18:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Former shop worker ousts Yahya Jammeh on promise of change, transforming him into a national hero in only a few weeksThe Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, is a real-estate agent and former Argos security guard who wooed voters with promises of a new start for one of Africa’s poorest countries.The 51-year-old was born in a riverside village far inland, on the eve of Gambian independence. He won a scholarship to high school in the capital, Banjul, then rose through the ranks of loc
  
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• Fears around gender-neutral toilets are all in the mind | Paris Lees

  02-12-2016 18:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Allowing trans people to use gender-neutral facilities doesn’t put women at risk. It’s just a distraction from the very real violence we face every dayYesterday, Caroline Flint used parliament’s historic first debate on transgender equality to claim that gender-neutral toilets put women at risk. Responding to Maria Miller, chair of the women and equalities committee, Flint said she welcomed the debate, “but would [Miller] agree with me that we also need to be mindful of c
  
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• Murder inquiry after immigration centre detainee dies in fight

  02-12-2016 18:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Man, 32, in custody after 64-year-old dies in hospital following alleged assault at Colnbrook immigration removal centrePolice have launched a murder investigation after a 64-year-old immigration detainee died following a fight in a detention centre close to Heathrow.Officers were called to an assault at the Colnbrook immigration removal centre in west London on Thursday morning, but the man died in hospital 12 hours later at 9.30pm. Continue reading...
  
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• Ireland celebrates moving one step closer to legalising cannabis for medicinal use

  02-12-2016 18:20
  
  Doctors would decide if patients suffering from diseases such as cancer might benefit from cannabis products.
  
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• Dachau concentration camp gate found two years after it was stolen

  02-12-2016 17:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Police in Bergen, Norway, find iron gate with slogan ‘Arbeit macht frei’ after tipoffAn iron gate with the slogan “Arbeit macht frei” (work will set you free) that was stolen from the former Nazi concentration camp in Dachau two years ago has been found in Norway, police say.“Due to an anonymous tipoff, police in Norway’s Bergen have secured an iron gate with the well-known text,” Bavaria state police said on Friday. “From the picture transmitted,
  
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• Samantha Cameron pursues long-held goal with fashion label launch

  02-12-2016 17:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Friends say fashion has always been central to her ambitions for life after No 10, and she is working flat out to succeedOn a warm Wednesday afternoon in July, Samantha Cameron stood on the steps of Downing Street, her three children by her side, while her husband, David, gave his final press statement as prime minister. She blushed as he thanked her for her personal support, described her as “an amazing wife, mother and businesswoman” and praised her work in aid of volunteering.
  The
  
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• Rough sleeping on rise in Birmingham after cuts to homelessness services

  02-12-2016 17:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Charities, outreach workers and the council all view ‘frightening’ levels of rough sleeping as a result of local authority cutsThe body of a 30-year-old homeless man was found at the back of a dark loading bay beside the Birmingham New Street railway station car park on Tuesday night, the coldest of winter so far. There are no flowers at the place he died, but the flattened, damp cardboard boxes where he slept are still there, along with a couple of woollen hats and a pair of green s
  
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• Do we need vegan-friendly fivers? Catch up on our live look at the week

  02-12-2016 17:53 via theguardian.com
  
  From a Richmond by-election to Trump and more, look back on our real-time discussion about the week’s news and comment 4.53pm GMTOk everyone. I will be heading off now, but please feel free to continue the discussion below the line. Thanks all! Email over thoughts and suggestions about this feature if you have any ([email protected])They are always welcome! 4.30pm GMTI had one of those moments parents dread this week. Just as I was putting the kids to bed my eldest, aged 7, asked
  
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• Police investigate tweet calling for someone to 'Jo Cox' MP Anna Soubry

  02-12-2016 17:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservative MP says tweet is second death threat she has had in a week and ‘tolerance and free speech must prevail’Police are investigating a tweet calling for someone to “Jo Cox” the Conservative MP Anna Soubry.The murder of the Labour MP Cox by an extreme rightwing terrorist raised concerns about parliamentarians’ security and the level of abuse they have directed at them.Continue reading...
  
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• Matt Goss says 2017 Bros reunion gigs will wow fans

  02-12-2016 17:35
  Singer-songwriter Matt Goss says he and his twin brother Luke will make sure their Bros reunion tour wows fans of the British 1980s pop band when they come to Britain next August. The brothers announced in October they were reuniting to play at London's O2 Arena on Aug. 19 -- some 28 years after performing at Wembley Arena to an audience of 77,000. "We had a civilised conversation about the process of becoming a unified force again and just putting on a show that we knew would blow people's mind
  
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• Raised in the UK but 'blocked' from going to university

  02-12-2016 17:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An 18-year-old who has lived in the UK since she was four says she's been denied a chance to attend university.
  
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• Phil Collins sued by ex-wife over claims made in autobiography

  02-12-2016 17:12
  Phil Collins' ex-wife is taking legal action against the singer over "wholly false statements" made in his recent autobiography. The Against All Odds singer married his first wife Andrea Bertorelli in 1975 and the marriage lasted for five years. The couple had a son, Simon, and Collins adopted Bertorelli's daughter Joely.
  
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• Britain braces for freezing conditions as winter bites

  02-12-2016 17:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Health officials warn of dangers of cold weather as temperatures expected to drop below freezing this weekendTemperatures across Britain are expected to drop below freezing this weekend, prompting health officials to warn that the cold can be deadly.Weather alerts have been issued for much of the country as forecasters expect severe cold to set in on Saturday. Continue reading...
  
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• Exclusive - Banks to Britain: stagger Brexit over years or we could leave

  02-12-2016 17:07
  By Huw Jones, Anjuli Davies and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - Britain must negotiate a staggered departure from the European Union over several years or risk banks leaving the country, the biggest banking lobby group will warn the government in coming weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter. The British Bankers' Association will argue its case in a report to Prime Minister Theresa May's government, outlining the risks for the country if she does not secure a "transition" phase
  
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• Our obsession with the natural world isn't about power – it's about love

  02-12-2016 17:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Why do we get a kick out of looking at animals? We’re asserting our dominion over nature – but also trying to understand and preserve itWe humans love to look at other species. The BBC series Planet Earth II is a huge hit. As well as the authority of David Attenborough’s voice, this is because it offers a series of incredible HD glimpses of the secret lives of animals. The latest sequence that had my family glued to the screen featured a pride of lions chasing a giraffe. Astoun
  
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• Who will fill Nico Rosberg's driving shoes at Mercedes?

  02-12-2016 17:02
  
  Here are the likely contenders.
  
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• ‘Our parents went without food so we could eat’: growing up in Manchester in the 1960s

  02-12-2016 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Paul Pryde on living in Manchester’s Moss SideI was five when this picture was taken. Yes, we were poor, but it was Moss Side in 1969 – everyone was poor. It was better than the tenements in Glasgow, where we’d come from. My dad was a miner and couldn’t get work up there, so he’d moved the family to Manchester. I was the fifth of eight children; in the picture, I’m to the left, standing just in front of my big brother. We had a happy upbringing: we were never
  
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• Eating disorders: what is treatment like where you live?

  02-12-2016 16:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Do you feel that local NHS services are up to scratch? Share your experiences with usNHS Digital figures show that hospital admissions for eating disorders in England are increasing. The number of deaths in England and Wales from eating disorders has also risen (from 17 in 2014 to 28 in 2015), according to statistics from the Office of National Statistics.
  But treatment is patchy. Northern Ireland has no specialist eating disorders unit. Patients are treated in the community but this is currentl
  
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